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Bombay HC orders CBI probe: Disha Salian, a 28-year-old celebrity manager who had briefly managed Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, reportedly fell from 14th floor in 2020
Disha Salian, Sushant Singh Rajput. (File)
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday highlighted the major unanswered questions and discrepancies in the Mumbai Police probe into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s manager Disha Salian, transferring the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a fresh inquiry and First Information Report (FIR) registration.
A look at the unanswered questions, SSR link and investigation.
THE 2020 DEATH
Disha Salian, a 28-year-old celebrity manager who had briefly managed Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, attended a small dinner gathering with friends at a residential building in Mumbai’s Malad area. During the night, she reportedly fell from a window or balcony on the 14th floor of the building, resulting in her tragic death.
The Mumbai Police initially registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and subsequently treated the case as a suicide, claiming she was under severe business and personal stress. Six days later, on June 14, 2020, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his apartment, immediately triggering intense national speculation that the two deaths were connected.
Disha’s father, Satish Salian, and multiple independent legal petitions strongly contested the suicide theory. They alleged a massive political cover-up, claiming that she was gang-raped and murdered, pointing out massive anomalies like missing bloodstains, altered clothing records, and tampered timelines.
WHAT HAPPENED TO SSR DEATH CASE?
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) closed the Sushant Singh Rajput death case by filing a final closure report that concluded the actor died by suicide and explicitly ruled out any foul play or criminal conspiracy. The investigation officially gave a clean chit to actress Rhea Chakraborty and her family members, who had faced intense media scrutiny and accusations of abetment.
The official postmortem and subsequent forensic evaluations confirmed that the actor died of asphyxia due to hanging on 14 June 2020 at his Bandra residence. Following an extensive multi-year investigation, the central agency found no evidence of murder, poisoning, or financial embezzlement driving the actor’s death.
Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik, who were initially detained by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in 2020 on drug-related charges linked to the case, were formally cleared of any criminal role regarding his death.
THE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS IN DISHA SALIAN CASE
THE FLAWED TIMELINE
Police logs and CCTV place Mumbai Police at the spot at 12:59 AM. However, the police officially claim Disha fell later between 1:20 AM and 1:30 AM.
CCTV registers show Disha entering a flat on the 11th floor at 8:12 PM on June 8, 2020. Her partner previously claimed in court statements that she never left her 12th-floor residence after June 6.
FORENSIC AND PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
The court questioned how a fall from the 14th floor primarily resulted in broken teeth without major external bleeding marks on the ground.
Investigators noted a distinct lack of physical blood pools at the exact spot where the body was located.
Official accounts and initial scene reports show major contradictions regarding the clothes she was wearing at the time of her death.
INVESTIGATION GAPS & OMISSIONS
There is an absolute lack of direct CCTV coverage facing the precise window or spot from which she allegedly fell.
Conflicting witness statements exist surrounding an allegedly locked door inside the apartment during the time of the incident.
The Mumbai Police failed to hand over the post-mortem or Accidental Death Report (ADR) to her father, Satish Salian, for over five years.
Police maintained a passive ADR inquiry for over six years instead of escalating it into a proper criminal investigation, despite repeated formal murder and assault complaints filed by her family.
About the Author
At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci…Read More
September 02, 2026, 15:23 IST
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